After two days without classes in the wake of the shooting deaths of three students, University of Virginia students and faculty will return to the classroom Wednesday and begin to resume normal schedules.
However, undergraduate students will not be required to complete graded assignments or take exams prior to next week’s Thanksgiving break, University officials said Tuesday. UVA’s Thanksgiving recess runs from Nov. 23 through 27.
“These have been extraordinarily difficult days for our community,” UVA President Jim Ryan said in a message to the UVA community. “Even in the face of our own grief, I ask that we continue to reach out and extend our support to each other and especially to those who may be struggling the most.”
Ryan said in the message that he and Provost Ian Baucom, along with University school deans, agreed to adjust the requirements for undergraduate students.
“We recognize that there may be unique needs for our graduate and professional schools,” Ryan said. “Faculty in these schools should look to school leadership for further instruction. We have also asked all faculty to be as flexible as possible with classes, in-person attendance and coursework.”
Late Sunday night, three members of the UVA football team were shot and killed on a motor coach on Grounds as they returned from a class field trip. They are Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D’Sean Perry. Two other students were wounded.
Another student, Christopher Darnell Jones Jr., was arrested late Monday morning in Henrico County. He is charged with three counts of second-degree murder and using a firearm while committing a felony.
The shooting locked down Grounds for nearly 12 hours as police searched for Jones.
“All of us have been affected, especially those students who participated in the field trip, the family and friends of the victims, and all those who endured the anxious hours of lockdown,” Ryan said.
To help those affected, UVA Student Health and Wellness will continue offering no-appointment, drop-in counseling at its Family and Community Assistance Center, at the IM-Rec Fitness Center at 505 Edgemont Road. The center opened Monday to help the UVA community deal with the shootings.
